Preface to Shakespeare

In Short

This volume serves as a critical introduction to an edition of Shakespeare’s plays, though it transcends mere editorial commentary to become a profound inquiry into the nature of drama. The author evaluates Shakespeare’s strengths—his uncanny ability to capture human experience without relying on artificial artifice—while candidly addressing his stylistic flaws. Because it prioritizes the "mirror of life" over the rigid, formal rules of neoclassical theory, the work remains a vital touchstone for understanding why Shakespeare’s characters continue to resonate across centuries of shifting taste.

The Story

The narrative arc of the work begins by dismantling the prejudices that often blind critics to the true worth of an author. The author argues that we should not revere ancient writers simply out of habit, nor should we judge a contemporary by their worst work while reserving praise for the dead. Instead, he positions Shakespeare as a writer who escaped the restrictive, "barbarous" rules of his time by relying on his own immense, natural powers of observation. The argument progresses through a detailed analysis of Shakespeare’s dramatic method: his mixing of comedy and tragedy, his disregard for the rigid unities of time and place, and his reliance on popular, accessible stories to anchor his sprawling plots.

As the text moves toward its center, it tackles the "dull duty" of the editor. The author reflects on the history of previous scholars who attempted to fix Shakespeare’s text, critiquing their petty squabbles and their often-misguided attempts to "improve" the plays. He advocates for a more balanced approach, one that respects the integrity of the original text while providing necessary, modest explanations for archaic language or confusing passages. He acknowledges his own limitations, admitting that while he has attempted to clear up obscurities, he has often chosen to leave difficult, stubborn lines for future scholars to unravel rather than forcing an artificial interpretation.

The later stages of the work shift into specific, focused criticism of individual plays. The author examines the structure and emotional impact of King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello. He defends the intense, sometimes shocking, violence in these plays as necessary to the drama, even when he finds certain acts—such as the blinding of Gloucester—almost too painful to endure. He breaks down the psychology of characters like Othello and Iago, marveling at how they act and speak in ways that readers recognize as fundamentally human. The work concludes with a humbling realization: no amount of critical commentary can truly explain away the "obsolete" nature of language or the "accidental" damage time inflicts on great art. Ultimately, the author acknowledges that he is merely a satellite orbiting a sun he cannot fully encompass, yet he remains committed to the task of helping the reader appreciate the sheer, unlabored genius of the poet who needed no "spectacles of books" to see the world as it truly is.

How It Unfolds

The rejection of prejudice The author challenges the tendency to value antiquity over truth, urging readers to judge Shakespeare for his actual merits rather than for his status as a long-preserved classic. He sets the stage for a criticism that favors nature and experience over the narrow rules of his predecessors.

The mirror of life He argues that Shakespeare’s characters are not hyperbolic monsters or heroes, but men who speak as the reader would in similar circumstances. This section establishes the central thesis that drama is most successful when it reflects human nature in its true, varied colors.

The defense of the drama Addressing critics like Voltaire and Rhymer, the author justifies Shakespeare’s refusal to stick to strict time and place requirements. He explains that since the audience knows the stage is a fiction, the imagination easily spans years and distances without breaking the spell.

The history of editors The author provides a candid look at the long line of scholars who have tried to edit the plays, exposing their vanity and the "dull duty" of their work. He treats the previous attempts to "fix" the text as a cycle of demolition and reconstruction, noting how little real progress is often made.

The final estimation The work closes with a series of specific critiques on major plays, where the author weighs Shakespeare’s brilliance against his tendency toward "tumour, meanness, tediousness, and obscurity." He concludes that even with his flaws, Shakespeare’s capacity to capture human passions remains unparalleled.

The People

The text orbits around three distinct layers of humanity: the playwright, the critics, and the audience. Shakespeare is presented not as a scholar, but as an observer of life who instinctively understood the human heart. He is the central figure who, by lacking formal "spectacles of books," was able to see the world with a clarity that trained, academic writers often missed.

The critics represent the intellectual obstacles. Figures like Pope, Theobald, and Warburton appear as flawed, often ego-driven individuals who mistakenly believe their own "conjectural criticism" is more important than the text they serve. The author portrays these men with a mix of dry humor and weariness, particularly when they squabble over punctuation or "evanescent atoms."

Finally, the audience is the ultimate judge. The author views them as people who are never truly deceived by the theater, yet who are willing to "fancy ourselves unhappy for a moment" to experience the catharsis of tragedy. By focusing on how a "hermit" or a "confessor" might view the plays, he highlights the universality of the characters. These figures—from the simple spectator to the arrogant editor—are all brought together by their shared need to understand how Shakespeare’s "mirror of life" reflects their own reality.

In Its Own Voice

"Shakespeare has no heroes; his scenes are occupied only by men, who act and speak as the reader thinks that he should himself have spoken or acted on the same occasion."

The author emphasizes that the playwright’s greatest triumph is his ability to create characters who remain grounded in the familiar, human experience.

"The truth is, that the spectators are always in their senses, and know, from the first act to the last, that the stage is only a stage, and that the players are only players."

This observation justifies why Shakespeare could ignore the rigid classical rules of time and place, as the audience’s imagination is always prepared to accept the fiction.

What It's Really About

At its heart, this work is an investigation into the limitations of human knowledge and the nature of artistic genius. It explores why we continue to value art that is centuries old, even when its language is difficult and its customs are forgotten. The author asks how a creator can be both "lucky" in his inspiration yet occasionally "flat and insipid" in his execution. By deconstructing the "dull duty" of the critic, he highlights the tension between the transient opinions of a single generation and the enduring power of a "comprehensive soul." Ultimately, it is a meditation on how we perceive truth through the lens of fiction, and why we must accept that some aspects of art will always elude our efforts to label or control them.

Why Read It Today

Readers who value clear, unpretentious prose and honest, direct literary analysis will find this book deeply rewarding. It feels less like a dusty academic manual and more like a conversation with a wise, slightly cynical, but deeply appreciative mentor. You will experience the rare pleasure of seeing a critic admit that he does not have all the answers, and that some of Shakespeare’s greatness simply defies explanation.

However, the modern reader should be prepared for the author’s eighteenth-century sensibility. He does not shy away from critiquing Shakespeare’s "licentious" jokes or his "cold and weak" declamations, which may feel jarring to those accustomed to modern, uncritical worship of the Bard. Additionally, the references to minor eighteenth-century scholars and specific, now-obscure controversies can be dense. Yet, these hurdles are worth clearing. The work remains a masterclass in how to look at a text not as a collection of rules to be followed, but as a living reflection of the human condition. It stays with you because it teaches you how to be a more observant reader, encouraging you to look for meaning in the "sports of the field" and the "manufactures of the shop" rather than just the classroom.